Q:
I brought my car to a new shop recently and I really think they screwed me big time.

asked by
Joanna L
on
October 04, 2016

My car wouldn't start so I had to get it towed in to the nearest shop which I had never gone to before. They said that they replaced the serpentine belt, the alternator, and the thermostat housing, but when I looked under the hood just to do a visual inspection (because they had also told me that they would do a pressure wash on my engine free of charge...they failed to do that though) I saw that a wire that goes to one of the terminals on my battery had been modified and replaced with a completely different one. So I am thinking they did a small job and made me pay 916 dollars just to replace a simple wire. The problem is, I didn't ask for my original car parts back in the beginning....which I should have done I know but I didn't. So now what can I do to check and see if this 375 dollar alternator and 60 dollar belt was even replaced?

Hello. You could check under the hood while looking at a diagram to find the alternator and belt in your car to inspect its condition. I would recommend taking the car back to the shop and asking for an itemized breakdown of the parts replaced and ask to see the old ones. Depending on how long this has been they may or may not have the old part still available. Depending on your state, they are usually required by law to provide you an itemized breakdown on the parts and labor. You could also have another local expert take a look at the car in order to give you a second opinion.

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